Exiled Innocence
by StCC
Summary: Naruto was tricked by the Kyuubi into releasing the seal and attacks Sakura because Sakura calls him a demon for not trying hard enough to bring Sasuke back.  What will Naruto do when all his pain and suffering suddenly crash down upon him?  Now complete.
1. Sakura's Rage

**Exiled Innocence**

Chapter 1: Emotion Erupts 

Naruto slowly made his way back to Konoha. Once he made it to the gates, he felt his legs buckle beneath him, blood oozing from the hole in his chest. The last things he heard before falling unconscious were gasps made by the person guarding the gate as he shouted, "Get an emergency medical squad, now!"

He woke up in the hospital to see Sakura's face. "Are you okay?" she asked gently as Naruto opened his eyes and sat up, attempting to ignore the pain.

"Yeah, I should be fine," he replied wearily.

"Hey, Naruto, do you know what room Sasuke's in?"

Naruto's eyes told her the whole thing, but he spoke his mind anyway. "I couldn't bring him back. I'm sorry."

Sakura gasped, and Naruto thought she was going to cry before she slapped him. "You promised! You demonic freak!" she cried out. "You didn't even try! You let him beat you up! You hate Sasuke, don't you?"

"Sakura, I'm sorry…" Naruto murmured guiltily, a tear sliding down his face.

"SORRY ISN'T GOING TO BRING SASUKE BACK, YOU JERK! YOU THINK AND ACT LIKE A…" She paused, not knowing what to say, and then continued. "Demon."

Naruto gasped, the pain of it hitting him like a tidal wave. What caused her to think like that? Surely she didn't know! "Sakura, I already told you! I'm extremely sorry! I'll go after him _again _if that's what it takes! Just forgive me! Please!" Tears were beginning to stream down his face now.

"Why should I?" she asked bitterly, beginning to cry. "You won't keep your promise! How could I have even _thought _about trusting a monster?" She stormed out of the room.

"S-sakura-chan…" Naruto gasped. He got up, his wounds already healed because of the demon chakra, however, he still limped because of the powerful ache he now had. Naruto walked to the door before sighing and walking towards the window. "Why? I'm telling the truth…" Tears still fell to the floor. "It isn't fair… No matter what I do, everyone hates me." He kicked the wall, which only stayed in tact because of his weakened state due to loss of blood. "As if I got a Chidori-inflicted hole in my chest for no apparent reason!"

He closed his eyes as tight as he could, now suffering from more pain mentally than physically, before sitting on the bed. "Why?" he asked himself again. "Why must I suffer the consequences to a crime I didn't even commit? Why am I treated as if I'm a demon? Why can't they just treat me like a normal person?" He buried his face in his hands, before beginning to cry, which he hadn't done in years. Well, yes, he had cried, but not like this. Crying from having Sakura playfully hit him on the head was different.

He couldn't help it. "All those Jinchuuriki… People act as if they became hateful and spiteful on their own," Naruto mumbled angrily, not realizing that Tsunade had been just about to open the door, before stopping and deciding to hear what he was saying. "It's their own fault for hating them in the first place. Am I the only one who hasn't grown up to be like that?" He paused. "If so, then why am I treated even worse? Sakura hates me. She even called me a demon. It isn't fair. It isn't right!" He gave another sob before Tsunade entered the room to find Naruto with his face buried in his pillow, crying.

"There, there," Tsunade comforted unexpectedly. In truth, Tsunade didn't know why she was doing it, either. She closed the door. Maybe it was just the sight of a boy that had endured hardships and suffering as if he were a criminal, had sealed up his hatred and regret to become Naruto, the number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja, and then had finally taken all the pain he had suffered in that long time and comprehended it, due to a single jeer. The suffering he must have been going through at that moment was possibly enormous.

Rage suddenly filled Tsunade as she realized the truth of what he said, though she didn't show it. Why _had _an innocent child been treated like a criminal? What harm did anyone expect to come from him? Did they really and truly doubt the power of the Fourth Hokage's seal?

A/N Did I win the record for the shortest chapter in a Naruto fanfic ever written? No? Oh, fine. I promise they'll start getting longer by the fourth chapter or so. By the way, in case you're wondering why the chapters will only start getting longer by the fourth chapter, it's because I've already written most of them. Most likely I will upload them all extremely fast so people can get a genral idea on the plot, and then I'll start taking time in between uploads. Happy now? Oh, and this is my first story that I've ever submitted to a site! If this is at least somewhat of a success, I'll begin writing one that has to do with Akatsuki, Inari, Naruto, and some made-up guy. See you in the next chapter, "A Taste of Blood."


	2. A Taste of Blood

**Chapter 2: A Taste of Blood**

"Tsunade-sama… I'm sorry!" Naruto whispered with a pain-filled voice. "I really tried to bring Sasuke back, I swear I tried!"

"I know you did. You know Sakura, she's just… Overreacting," Tsunade assured him, aware of the fact that he had hardly ever called her Tsunade-sama before, instead replacing the word with something less respectful. "She'll get over it, and we can try again later."

Due to his fast healing abilities, Naruto had been let out of the hospital that day, though he was still slightly weak and unable to put up a very good fight. However, the next day, when he left his house and met Sakura by the bridge, awaiting Kakashi, she gave him a cold stare. "Demon," she muttered darkly.

Naruto turned away, doing his best not to let her see the tears he attained every time she said that.

_Kill her._

The voice that Naruto heard those words in was a low and evil-sounding one. None other than the Kyuubi.

_Kill her. _

He ignored the voice, although it wasn't empty words. The third time, and it came with a bloodthirsty urge. As soon as Naruto felt he was going to g mad, Kakashi landed in front of them.

"Well, we're going to take it easy today, after both the shock of the events yesterday and the injuries Naruto received," Kakashi said. Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes, not bothering to notice that, for once, Kakashi had gotten there on time.

"Injuries?" Sakura spat angrily. "I'm willing to bet you they were self-inflicted just so it would seem like he actually cared!"

Naruto flinched at the harsh tone of voice, but said nothing. However, he couldn't shake the fact that it really hit him hard when she added, "The twerp is just a demon encased in a human body!"

Seeing Naruto's pained reactions, Kakashi interrupted her. "Okay, today is simply a chakra control exercise. I want to see how well you can stand on water, so I'll make the water rougher as time goes on. You two need to do all that you can to stay above water."

Naruto and Sakura reluctantly stepped over the river as Kakashi made a hand seal. In an instant, the water began to lap at Naruto's ankles. He adjusted the chakra flow carefully to go in correspondence with the water. Suddenly, the water started to splash in multi-directions. Sakura had no problem, though Naruto found that with his mind distracted by emotional problems, not to mention his average chakra control skills, it was quite a challenge.

"Doing well?" Kakashi asked Naruto, who was obviously struggling. Suddenly, he remembered something. "I forgot to tell you two that Tsunade might send you guys on a mission to find Sasuke.

_Kill them. I have the power to do that._

_No, _Naruto responded mentally, extremely distracted by now. _Why don't you show me your power to help me with this training? It's the _least _you can do after what you've done to me._

_If you require that so you can think about your options, I shall._

Naruto felt the pressure wear off as his chakra began to seemingly control its flow automatically, and he gave a small sigh of relief.

After a few hours, Kakashi stopped and let Naruto and Sakura get off the water. "That's it for today."

"Works for me. The farther I can get away from him, the better I'll be," she muttered, obviously talking about Naruto.

_Kill. Bite. Something. Teach her that you won't stand for such insults, _the Kyuubi encouraged.

_No way!_

_Do it._

But… 

_Listen. She's just going to yell at you for something that was hardly even your fault for the rest of your life unless you do this. Besides, it's her pain, not yours._

_It's mine mentally._

_Do it. You know you want to._

Naruto gave in for only an instant, only to realize he was biting deep into Sakura's shoulder a second later. Kakashi immediately intervened and pulled him off of her.

"That's enough," Kakashi told them, and took the horrified Sakura to the hospital, leaving Naruto in the woods. He felt blood dripping from his fangs, which quickly became normal teeth once more.


	3. Revenge

**Chapter 3: Revenge**

"What just happened?" Naruto asked seemingly nothing, though he knew the Kyuubi would hear him

You bit her. Didn't it feel good? 

"No," Naruto replied quietly, slightly shocked at the fact that he had actually done just that.

Does the blood not taste wonderful? 

"The blood tastes awful. Now shut up."

_Look deep inside yourself and say that again._

"The only thing I see deep inside myself is you, damn fox!"

_Surely she will respect you now._

"I said be quiet," Naruto mumbled, realizing what an odd sight this would be for a someone passing by. He rinsed his mouth out in the river.

_Surely you must have felt _some _joy._

"I said go away! You've been causing most of the problems I've had through my entire life!" Naruto barked. "You aren't making things better right now!"

"Oh, I'm not? You'll see. Killing is an exciting game," a voice said as Naruto woke up inside the seal, right in front of the bars that held the demon fox.

"I said shut up."

"I can show you how to get revenge on the villagers… Without killing them."

"Promise it won't kill them?" Naruto asked quietly after a pause.

"Promise. Now just let me possess you for an hour, I'll show you what I mean."

Naruto gave in, and felt coils of chakra wrap around him, and instead of just getting chakra, they wrapped tightly around his muscles.

In an instant, Naruto was back in the real world. In another instant, he lost control of his movements. The next thing he knew was that he was standing over a helpless Sakura, who had her left arm nearly severed off, a black eye, and was surrounded my multiple knocked out ANBU members, along with a barely-conscious Kakashi.

He gasped. _You said nobody was going to…_

_Die. Exactly. They're all alive. Just badly injured._

_How could you?_

_Revenge, kid. Learn to get used to it._

After that, Naruto saw Tsunade rush outside. "Naruto! What happened?" she asked urgently.

"That… Monster…" Sakura gasped, ponting at Naruto. "He nearly killed me, and everyone who tried to defend me!"

"What?" Tsunade was shocked. She turned her gaze towards Naruto. "Is this true?"

"I… I don't remember what just happened! All I know is that I was at the river and all of a sudden I was standing here!"

"The _whole _truth!"

"Umm…" Naruto murmured reluctantly. "The Kyuubi said nobody would get killed… I didn't know he planned to hurt people…"

Tsunade grabbed his wrist before calling an emergency medical squad. "You actually listenened to that?" she scolded. "For all you know, all of Konoha might have been destroyed!"

Naruto suddenly felt words come to him without his opinion on it, and he smiled. "And I would care why?" he asked. "It isn't as if I've gotten anything good from here. Name one day without being on a mission that I wasn't given a cold stare for no apparent reason?" The words were bitter, but Tsunade closed her eyes in pity as she realized that there was truth in them.

"That doesn't mean you can go and release the seal whenever you feel like it!" she replied after a pause. "Sakura was nearly killed!" Multiple people were staring at the two.

"Why should I care about Sakura?" Naruto asked her darkly. "You people act as if I owe something to Konoha. Like what?" He slapped her hand off his wrist before continuing. "I've lived my whole life as if it was _I _who terrorized Konoha. As if _I _had a say in having a nine-tailed demon sealed in me! I wasn't even a day old at the time, and yet I lost more than anyone! Not only my entire family, but I lost the trust of Konoha before I even earned it! AND FOR PRACTICALLY THIRTEEN YEARS, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW _WHY _EVERYONE HATED ME!" Naruto dashed off, faster than anyone else available was at the time. Tsunade was in shock. _Is that really the pain he's been suffering all this time? No, it's only a fraction of it, _she thought sadly. _Hardly a fraction, in fact. How many people must have tried to kill him?_

"Should we send someone out after him?" an ANBU member asked.

"Yes," Tsunade said wearily, and a tear rolled down her face as she figured out what she was going to be told next.

"You realize we have to kill him before this happens again.

"Yes, I know."


	4. A Day from Death

A/N Just so you know, thanks to all you wonderful reviewers out there! I'm glad you're all happy with the story, and the ideas and criticism are heavily appreciated. More at the end, so I don't give away spoilers. Once again, thank you to all the reviewers! About updating slower, I lied! I'll be updating completely randomly, because I don't like wating an entire week, and neither do most readers. Enjoy! (I know the chapter name is odd, I couldn't think of anything) Chapter 4: A Day from Death 

Naruto only got as far as the gate before being hit hard enough so he fell to the ground.

"Stay still," the ANBU member commanded, picking up Naruto, who struggled for freedom.

"Let me go!" he cried, before he felt himself forced to say, "Bitch!"

The ANBU member made no sign that he had heard, and took him to Tsunade, who was still standing on the sidewalk surrounded by onlookers. "How should we do it?" he asked. Naruto had no idea what he was talking about.

"I need to think about that…" Tsunade murmured wearily. "Just lock him up for now."

"Let me go, freak!" Naruto growled as he was carried away to the Konoha jail, with Sakura calling;

"You deserve it! Demon!"

Naruto stopped struggling, his eyes wide as he heard the villagers chant: "Demon! Demon!"

_Damn you, dumb fox! You're going to get me killed! _Us _killed, might I add!_

_Kill the one carrying you and escape._

_I'm not killing any more! At least I'm not letting _you _kill!_

_Fine, brat._

Naruto didn't bother to resist being chained up and locked in a cell. Deep inside he felt that maybe he _did _deserve it, for being so stupid and letting the Kyuubi nearly kill Sakura.

_Demon. It's as if that's their only vocabulary word, _Naruto thought angrily. He sighed. _It isn't fair._

Naruto leaned against the wall. He shivered. _So what happens now? Are they going to… _He gulped. _Kill me? _

Naruto couldn't help but cringe with both anger and fear.

_

* * *

_

_How could he? _Sakura asked herself sadly. _If only I hadn't been so hard on him, the poor thing. _She paused, before thinking, _Of course he didn't try! That idiot just didn't like having such a tough rival! _However she tried to convince herself that she was right, she knew that deep down, Naruto had tried his hardest.

And calling him a demon. How cruel could she be? _It's all my fault! They've locked him up all because I provoked him to do that! What now?_

"Sakura?" a voice called softly. Tsunade.

"Come in," Sakura replied, as she was sitting in bed at the hospital.

"Listen," Tsunade said as she came in. "You don't have to worry about Naruto anymore, okay?" It was meant to reassure Sakura, but Tsunade's voice quivered as she spoke, and tears dropped to the floor.

"Wh-what happened to him?" Sakura asked, taken aback by Tsunade's crying. She was the _Hokage! _And she was _crying! _For that to happen, it must be really bad.

"He's going to be…" Tsunade whimpered, before she closed the door and sobbed. "Naruto is going to be killed!

Sakura gasped. "No! It's all my fault! I provoked him!" she cried. "Tell the council that! Tell them! Please!"

"It's no use! They've been looking for an excuse to legally kill Naruto ever since he got the seal!" Tsunade sobbed.

"Seal?"

"Haven't you ever wondered _why _everyone calls Naruto a demon?" Tsunade asked Sakura quietly.

"No. It's because he's so annoying, is it not?"

"No. The Fourth Hokage never killed the Kyuubi."

"I don't get it. What happened to the Kyuubi, and what does that have to do with Naruto?" Sakura asked, confused and sad at the same time.

"Well…" Tsunade carefully told Sakura the whole story. "So ever since the Fourth Hokage sealed the demon in Naruto, everyone has been thinking he's possessed. As it is, no matter who they are, Jinchuuriki are all treated like trash. Do you know anyone else that is hated and hates back?"

"Gaara!" Sakura realized.

"Right," Tsunade said in a whisper. "A Jinchuuriki can be the son of a Kage, and it makes no difference. They could _be _a Kage. Kazekage, Hokage, it doesn't matter."

"And Naruto didn't have a say in it?"

"No, he didn't. He wasn't even a day old at the time."

"That's awful!" Sakura cried. "His life was decided for him!"

"And worst of all, he doesn't even know who his parents are. He was so sad he's never asked, though me and Jiraiya are the only ones who know." Tsunadeclosed her eyes in shame. "I should have told him. Naruto… Knowing him, he would be so proud to know he was the Fourth Hokage's son."

* * *

Naruto gazed at the ceiling. _Now what?_

_Kill._

_No! Shut up!_

_Kill._

_Shut _up, _I tell you!_

_Kill!_

_No. I don't trust you._

_Who cares? If I destroy the village, you wouldn't mind, would you? You said so yourself a little while ago. Even told Tsunade._

Naruto didn't reply until a few seconds later. _Not yet. When they're about to kill me, I'll catch them off guard. That's when they least expect it._

_Good plan. Who dies first?_

_Wait! You need to promise me the owner of the Ramen store, Iruka-sensei, and Tsunade stay alive. WITHOUT INJURIES! If you have to, stun them, knock them out, but don't draw blood._

_Fine, _was the reply after a long silence.

_Kill Mizuki first. Then kill everyone I didn't list that stands in your way._

_Right. So when do they try to kill you, kid?_

_Not sure. But I'll know._

_I hope it's soon. I'm getting the urge to kill, after spending so much time not being able to use my power._

_I'm not releasing the seal, only loosening it._

_Who cares? So long as I get to kill. _The slight disappointment was obvious.

_Just wanted to give you a heads-up._

* * *

"So how do we kill him?" a Council member asked later that day.

"Any way! As long as it's humane! Something fast! The poor kid should get a break on his deathbed, at least!" Tsunade barked, her sadness turning into anger.

"So I suppose we can't cut off his limbs and let him bleed to death?"

"NO!"

"What about drowning him?"

"NO!"

"Can we burn him?"

"I SAID NO!"

"Than at least let us cut his head off."

After a moments pause, Tsunade replied, "Fine."

"When can we do it?"

"Umm…" _Should I put it off as long as I possibly can or get it over with?_

"How about tomorrow?"

Sighing, Tsunade nodded. Slowly and painfully. "Yes. Tomorrow it is."

"Okay," the Council Member confirmed as he happily stepped out of the room.

"Oh, Naruto!" Tsunade sobbed, laying her head on the desk. "Please escape!"

A/N Yay! My longest chapter! Hopefully there will be more like this. And in case you were wondering, yes I would like some advice if you're willing. The next chapter has Hinata in it!


	5. Hinata the Hero

A/N Okay, I'm updating faster than most, I know I had the first four chapters in two days…Just read and review, please.

**Chapter 5: Hinata the Hero**

She was one of the few who didn't hate Naruto. After Sakura told her about the seal, she didn't care one bit. Naruto was perfectly innocent; even Sakura was crying and blaming herself! Hinata couldn't help but sob, knowing that the end was so near for Naruto.

The end couldn't be near! Surely nobody would consent! But Tsunade had already told her that the Council overpowered her. Once they had an excuse to kill Naruto, even for something as small as theft, they would kill him. Rage boiled through Hinata as she realized how much pain Naruto must be in, how much suffering he must of endured.

But nothing was as painful as what Hinata was experiencing. Nothing was as painful as the helplessness she was going through. The fact that she couldn't save Naruto.

That was the worst pain she had ever endured.

"You're death is today," someone said from right outside Naruto's cell. "You have an hour until you die." The man left.

_An hour until _you _die, you mean, _Naruto thought, closing his eyes and smiling.

The hour came. Sakura was sitting behind a fence, along with multiple other audience members who were cheering as Naruto was dragged up to a stone, where an ANBU member held his head down.

"Naruto Uzamaki has been sentenced to death for intentionally coming close to releasing the seal, and wounding multiple innocent people in the process," a Council Member announced.

"Innocent? The people who have and still hate me for practically no reason are innocent?" Naruto asked, a smile on his face. His eyes showed no fear and looked extremely calm.

Hinata, not knowing what else to do, blurted out, "Naruto's right! It's our fault! We provoked him! Let him go!"

"Shut up!" the Council Member ordered both of them.

_Change of plans. Don't hurt Hinata either, _Naruto told the Kyuubi.

_Oh, all right… But please tell me you don't have anyone else to add to your list of 'do not hurt.'_

_Not that I know of._

"Do it," was all that was said. A man with a sword stepped up as most of the crowd cheered on.

"Finally, we rid this land of a monster," the man said loud enough for everyone to hear, including Sakura, Tsunade, and Hinata, who were crying. The ramen store owner was standing stiffly with his eyes closed, not wanting to witness the scene.

"You're right. We rid this land of a monster," Naruto agreed, smiling. "In fact, we rid this land of many monsters. But you're mistaken on who they are."

"Be quiet, demon!" the Council Member ordered.

"The real demons…" Naruto stated, lifting his head up, "ARE YOU!" The chakra tendrils slashed right through the man, and everyone around him. Naruto stood up and turned around, nails sharp as claws, eyes red and catlike, teeth now fangs. Chakra surrounded him in the form of a one-tailed fox.

"Naruto!" Sakura gasped as Naruto stared straight at her.

"My plan was to kill Mizuki first, but you'll do," he said, smiling and walking over. Multiple random people who had been cheering seemed to explode in an instant, the chakra tendrils invisible and yet deadly. Blood splattered everywhere, and those in the crowd gasped and ran away, though some who were too slow were killed.

Right as he was about to kill Sakura, Hinata stood between them. "No!" she cried.

"Get out of the way, Hinata. I don't want to kill you," Naruto said with no emotion.

"No! Naruto! Stop!" Hinata cried, tears rolling down her face. "Naruto! Many people have been feeling twice the pain you have! That's because the one thing worse than what you've been through is knowing your best friend has been through it! The one thing worse than dying is knowing your friend died! Naruto! Stop this madness!"

Naruto clenched his teeth and closed his eyes. "If you care…" he murmured, "Then why won't you let me get my revenge?" By that time the tears on the ground were not only Hinata's.

"Because I care about the village and its people, as well! And you should too!" Hinata whispered. "Half the people you killed didn't even know what they were cheering about, Naruto! They just saw their parents do it and copied them!"

"You would have let me die, then?" The aggression was back in his voice.

"No, Naruto… But you can escape without killing… I would have sheltered you! So would Tsunade! And so would Sakura! And any of our other friends!" Hinata sobbed. "Please stop, Naruto!"

"You obviously don't care about me," Naruto whispered, tears falling freely to the ground from a stream that came from Naruto's eyes. "None of you do! You've all been lying to me! Lying to me my entire life!" He paused, wiping the tears away. "But who am I to tink anyone would have accepted me as Hokage, even before this? No. I have no dreams now. No dreams except to live. No dreams except to get revenge on Konoha, and to do that I will not destroy it. No, instead I will leave the village and let you mourn your losses, detest me, and finally realize that the whole thing was mostly your fault in the first place." Naruto took his headband off. "I am no longer a part of Konoha," he whispered, taking out a Kunai and making a scratch across the Leaf-Village symbol before putting it back on.

"Naruto! Wait!" Tsanade sobbed. "Please understand, Naruto… We care about you!"

"Does someone who not even argues at the fact that I'm about to die really care?" Naruto asked, making Tsunade feel guiltier as he turned away.

"I tried to stop them, Naruto! The council overpowered me!"

"Nice story, Tsunade," Naruto said sadly, walking past the village gates without an attempt to stop him. The chakra faded away, his eyes turned normal, along with his teeth and nails. "But only a fool… No, only the old me… Would believe it."

"Naruto!" Hinata cried, following him, but Naruto knocked her to the ground.

"Don't follow me," was all he said before walking into the shadows of the forest.

Hinata stared at the pained figure. "Naruto…"


	6. How Much Do You Care?

A/N Thank you fabulous reviewers! I have so many reviews that have been made in so little time! (possibly because of my update speed) That makes five chapters in two days. I'm so amazing sarcasm. Also, just wanted you to know that I'm just updating whenever I finish chapters. Okay, I would like to thank the reviewers once more! Most of them came as positive things, though. So far hardly anyone was a critic. Please, I need more critics! I also don't mind someone requesting what to happen next in the story. I've been checking the reviews often. Looks like a lot of people like Naruto getting revenge. Don't worry, that wasn't the climax! Well, it was _a_ climax, but not _THE_ climax. I'm just getting started! In case you've forgotten, this is only chapter six! Akatsuki gets involved in this chapter, too! Yay! Also, I've decided to write a different version of what happens after finishing this, if people really decide they like it. It has a lot more to do with Akatsuki, though… Oh well! You'll figure out when the time comes! For now, just read! This Author's Note is taking up way to much space!

**Chapter Six: How Much Do You Care?**

The woods were dense and filled with shadows. All those happy memories Naruto had… He could hardly believe they had all happened, just to lead up to this horrible point. The missions, the friends, the comfort… His innocence.

His innocence had been destroyed once he scratched his forehead protector. He had loved that forehead protector. The one he earned when he graduated ninja academy after four consecutive fails.

Fails? Yes, he had failed. The memory, instead of making him laugh like it used to, appalled him. How could he have failed? It didn't matter now. He was strong. He had no bonds. Nothing. And nobody had a bond with him.

Then why had he let them live?

_Go back, you wimp, and destroy that village! _The Kyuubi's rage was quite frightening at first.

_You said you were going to possess me!  
Not my fault! Like the wimp you were, you only partially let me possess you. I was able to give you much power, yes, and I was able to kill those people whether you liked it or not, but whatever happened, I wasn't in control ENTIRELY._

_Just be quiet, would you?_

_What? You think you can boss me around?_

_Actually, yes. You're the demon, I'm the Jinchuuriki. I summon your strength. I can put it away. You can't kill me, or you kill yourself as well. Use logic. Obviously you aren't as smart as everyone takes you for._

There was no reply. Naruto sat down at the base of a tree. _They won't let you away that easily, you know, _the fox told him meekly, obviously not happy at his defeat in the recent conversation. Apparently he was used to being able to order Naruto do do something with that threat-the fear would usually cause Naruto to obey, despite the fact that he really had nothing to be afraid of.

_I have a good few _months _before they send someone after me, _Naruto replied, before taking out a Kunai and hitting an apple on a nearby apple tree with it. He fruit fell to the ground with a dull thud, and Naruto picked it up.

_I wouldn't eat that, if I were you._

_Why not? _Naruto took a bite.

_Because it may have bugs in it._

_You're a demon that's afraid of bugs?_

_I said if I were _you. _I didn't say if I were you and had my powers and knowledge._

_Yeah, well, if you were me and thought like me, you would eat it, because I'm eating it._

Noticing that it was the second argument he had lost in a few minutes, the Kyuubi seemed slightly annoyed as it said, _Well, if I had my intelligence and knowledge and was in your place, I wouldn't eat it._

_Yes you would. Having your knowledge would mean you would be used to having extreme chakra levels, and would obviously not fear a mere bug._

I'd like to know how you went from the idiot of the village to being as smart as Sakura.

_Not hiding all my pain and sorrow makes it a hundred times easier to focus on more important things, such as winning arguments against you._

Yeah, yeah. Don't get too cocky.

* * *

"And his position is?" Kisame murmured quietly from on a branch above Itachi.

"Standing beneath the apple tree in front of us."

"Weapons?"

"None. He's currently eating an apple. By the look in his eyes, it seems he's communicating with the Kyuubi." Itachi withdrew a kunai. "Let's go."

"Right."

* * *

Naruto tossed the apple core to the side, not expecting the kunai that whizzed past him and pinned him against a tree. Soon more kunai pinned the rest of his limbs against the rough bark, and Naruto gave a frightened gasp as he saw Itachi. The Uchiha made Naruto's face feel cold, and his heart skipped a beat. "Get away…" he murmured, unable to assert anything. His fear made him forget the Kyuubi.

"Should I cut off some limbs now? He's escaped us one too many times," Kisame muttered.

Itachi remained silent as Kisame approached the frightened Jinchuuriki. _No, please no!_

_Are you forgetting about my existence?_

_His blade absorbs chakra, idiot! _Including _demon chakra! _

Before any further comment could be made, the large blade seemed to come at Naruto faster than lightning.

Blood splattered onto the ground, staining the bright green grass with a bright red.

* * *

Hinata was kneeling on the ground, sobbing. "Naruto!" Multiple skilled ninja were filing past her, tracking down the son of the Fourth Hokage.

"I've seemingly lost all power! The only thing that keeps me the Hokage is this paperwork!" Tsunade muttered angrily, tears falling to the ground.

"I wish Naruto knew how sorry I was for bringing this upon him and everyone else!" Sakura cried.

"There, there. He's alright, I know he is. Naruto is full of the power of youth," Lee comforted, though it wasn't helping much.

"_YOUTH?" _Sakura barked, indignant. "You and Gai-sensei's stupid _youth! _Nobody _cares _about that stupid thing!"

"Sakura! Calm down!" Neji said quietly. "You know Lee. He's just doing whatever he can to make things better."

"Well, neither of you are much help!" Sakura shouted, venting her anger out on the two boys.

A ninja who had gone out to look for Naruto stepped up to Tsunade and said loud enough for most people to hear: "We've found blood. But not just any blood. After close examination, it looks like Naruto's."

"What?" Hinata, Sakura, Neji, Lee, Tenten, and all those who had been close to Naruto said, shocked, in unision.

"You've got to be kidding…" Tsunade managed to whimper. "Any evidence that he was killed?"

"No, it looks like someone just wanted to make a capture. By the amount of oxygen left in the blood we found, none of it came directly from his heart, nor any other vital organs."

Hokage or not, Tsunade's face grew pale, and she leaned against a wall for support. "Go back and do whatever it takes to find out who did this!"

"Understood."

Hinata gave a gulp. "Naruto…" Shocked she passed out, unable to handle what had happened to her hero.

"Well, no more demons in Konoha now, right?" someone in the village who had heard cheered.

"He isn't…" Sakura whispered, then raised her voice to its loudest. "HE ISN'T A DEMON!"

"All of you ought to be ashamed of yourselves!" Tsunade added as a few cheering people fell silent. "Do you dare doubt the strength of the Fourth Hokage's seal?"

Silence. One person dared. "The Fourth Hokage was a nutcase! I don't even know how he became Hokage in the first place!"

"That isn't true!" someone else argued. "The Fourth Hokage was a great ninja! So were all who had his blood!"

"I'm glad," Jiraiya said, smiling, "That you just complimented Naruto."

"What do you mean?" the woman who had defended the Fourth Hokage asked, curious.

"Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son," was the answer. Gasps erupted from the crowd.

"Well, it _was _quite obvious!" Tsunade shouted at them. "Isn't it odd that out of all the babies in the village, the one chosen was one who coincidentally looked and later on acted just like the Fourth Hokage?"

"Well…" Murmurs of confusion, doubt, and acknowledgement went through the crowd. Hinata slowly got up after a lot of shaking from Tenten.

"Well, if the boy's possessed, technically he could be the son of anyone and still be evil!" someone shouted happily.

"HE ISN'T POSSESSED! DO YOU PEOPLE NOT KNOW WHAT A SEAL DOES? THE KYUUBI HAS NO CONTROL OVER WHAT NARUTO IS DOING UNLESS NARUTO LETS HIM! HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THE KYUUBI WAS INSIDE HIM UNTIL THAT BITCH MIZUKI TOLD HIM!" Hinata snapped. Gasps erupted from the crowd; all out of the shocking fact that Hinata had just shouted something angrily, and in the process, called someone a bitch.

"Hinata!" Sakura gasped. "You just… Just… What's gotten into you?"

"Naruto was my inspiration!" Hinata cried. The crowd quieted down. "No matter what people did to him, or said about him, he never gave up!" The words were shaky now as Hinata began crying. "He showed me that I can have dreams, too. He showed me what it means to be strong. To never give up. He showed me that a dropout can become whatever they want, no matter what! And you're all just taking his dreams away from him, just because he's a Jinchuuriki! He tried harder than _any _of you, just to be recognized! Not to be great, to be _recognized!_ And you all just… You just ignored every attempt he made! No matter how many times he helped save the day, no matter how many times he did what was right at the cost of his own safety, no matter what he did… For the record, I find he's done more than _anybody _in this entire _village _has done to prove themselves worthy of recognition!" Hinata wiped away her tears. "And… Now I'm wishing that he had just killed you all!" She buried her face in her hands and started crying.

A long silence crept over Konoha. "I think she's right," someone said quietly. "He nearly died bringing Sasuke back. Most ninja didn't even go, or even want to go. And yet we treat him as if _he _was the one who didn't try, and we did."

"Not to mention," someone added, "The time he saved Sakura and Sasuke's life with sheer determination while battling the Sand Shinobi."

"And the multiple missions he's been on where he's completely changed the way people look at things. Remember the princess from Snow Country? He saved her life, and made her see that she should never run away or give up," someone else remarked.

"Now do you see what we've been doing? It's _us _who are the demons! He's been going through more hardship in one lifetime than anyone should go through in a thousand lifetimes!" Tsunade stated. "Who's for saving Naruto?"

Silence. One person dared once more. And cheered. "Save Naruto!" he cried, and was followed by multiple others. If you had stood a mile away from Konoha that day, you would hear a faint voice in the distance; "Save Naruto."

A/N Just for those who haven't watched the Japanese versions of the shows and instead prefer to watch the English versions-which are very far behind-, Jinchuuriki means Demon Container. Also, the Snow Country mission was a movie, and by far one of my favorite Naruto movies, too. Don't even bother watching the second Naruto movie, just skip to the third... That second one was bad, just in my opinion. Just wanted you to know this. By the way, for those of you who think Naruto's life is ruined and he'll never be a ninja again… Well, just keep reading. You'll find out.


	7. New Home

A/N Just so you know, I'm postponing the Akatsuki fanfic for later on. Instead, I'm going to finish this and do my idea that's been pestering me for so long, even before I knew about fanfiction! Okay, moving on! You're all probably extremely eager to learn what happens to Naruto! Just so you know, the first part of the story is what happens to Naruto right before the villagers find blood. 'Kai' in this story is pronounced [k-eye, only all one syllable. Just the word 'eye' with a K in front of it, okay? And the thing where blood splattered onto the grass in the last fanfic, in case you didn't know, actually happened a few minutes AFTER the actual attack. Just wanted to clear up any confusion! Sorry about that, the next few chapters will be more straightforward!

**Chapter Seven: New Home**

Naruto stood over the two bodies which had been demolished without any blood. _How did I do that?_

Simple. You tapped into my power supply. Can you go back and destroy Konoha now?

_No._

_I-_

_Arguing will not get you anywhere. Now stop being annoying and give me suggestions on what to do?_

_Fine… You should somehow rid the place of these bodies-Zetsu from Akasuki will handle that-and spill some of your own blood. Maybe Konoha will take it that you're dead or have been captured by Akatsuki._

_Just a random question-Do you have a name? Calling you 'the Kyuubi' is annoying._

_If you must, just call me Kai._

_Fine, Kai-san._

This seemed surprising to the Kyuubi (or Kai), but then again, -san was how many people ended someone's name, even their enemies on occasion. _Okay, now do it, if you want to possibly be put on the list of dead ninja so you can come back and surprise them later!_

_I don't have any wish of destroying Konoha, Kai-san._

_This 'Kai-san' stuff… Are you mocking me?_

There was no response as Naruto took out a kunai and splattered his blood on the grass. _There._

Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes. _I don't believe you, _Kai sneered. _Crying like a child over something so pathetic! Do you realize that you're a rogue ninja now?_

_Be quiet! _The reply was angry, and Naruto took off from the spot he was standing as he heard footsteps in the distance. He only stopped when he was miles away from the Fire Country borders, which took quite awhile, and he was exhausted afterwards as he sat in an area that wasn't part of any Shinobi country at the base of a tree, sobbing at his great loss.

_Bozu, _Kai muttered, _you're a ninja! Start acting like one!_

_I can't, _Naruto replied quietly. _I'm alone… And I don't want to be!_

He didn't notice the young girl, about his age, hovering over him, but when he did, instinct forced him to back away, tears still streaming from his eyes. "I didn't do it!" he cried. "Leave me alone! It isn't my fault!"

The girl had short-black hair and green eyes. She looked very confused as she stared at the headband. "That scratch across your headband means you're a rogue ninja from the Fire Country, does it not?"

Naruto sighed, and closed his eyes to hide the pain and suffering in them. "I didn't want to leave. I wish I could go back, in fact, but…"

"First things first," the girl said. "I'm Tristeza. And you are?"

"I'm Naruto, Tristeza-san."

"Okay, continue."

Naruto paused before wiping the tears from his eyes and saying, "You wouldn't happen to know what a Jinchuuriki is, would you?"

"A Jinchuuriki? They have demons sealed inside them, right? Usually hated by their village. My village opposes that cruel behavior towards Jinchuuriki. It's wrong to think that they're inhuman because of such a thing," she replied, smiling.

"Well, Konoha hates me because I'm the Jinchuuriki that the Kyuubi is sealed in," Naruto explained nervously, not sure if Tristeza's word could be trusted.

"Let me guess; You were sentenced to death, and managed to escape," she mused. "It's quite obvious, the way you're crying s if you didn't want to leave."

_Weakling! Being shown up by some random girl that isn't even a ninja! Pathetic!_

_Shut up!_

"Well, you would be right…"

"Come to my village, Naruto-san," Tristeza offered.

"What?" Naruto stood up, slightly unable to believe this offer.

"You will come, won't you? My village will accept you, I promise!"

"Where is your village?"

"Right over that way! Come with me!" she urged, and pulled Naruto towards a prosperous little village.

* * *

"We haven't found Naruto yet, Tsunade-sama," a ninja reported.

"Keep looking! Check everywhere, even _outside _Fire Country! Actually, _especially _outside Fire Country. He isn't going to stay her long if he thinks we want to kill him!" Tsunade ordered.

"Right."

After days of searching, they hadn't had luck. A wek later, Tsunade found another ninja reporting to her office.

"We've received word of a young boy, about Naruto's age, that just recently began living in a small village just outside Fire Country."

"What does he look like?" Tsunade asked, attempting to hide her growing excitement.

"It looks like he has blue-eyes, blonde hair, and whisker-like lines on his face."

"It's him, all right! I want you to send Hinata, Sakura, Lee, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru, Tenten, Ino, Choji, Shino, Kakashi, and Jiraiya over. _Now!_"

"Are you sure that many is necessary?"

"We want _all _Naruto's close friends to be there, hear me? _All _of them. Not to mention, it's also just in case some demon chakra leaks out, because most likely he'll attack them," Tsunade replied. "Now _GO!_"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

* * *

Naruto smiled as he woke up. Tristeza, who also had no family, was sheltering Naruto in her own house because of all the extra space. He got out of bed completely ready for what was about to happen.

_Hurry it up and get back to Konoha! You can destroy that place with ease! _

_Please get off that topic, Kai-sempai._

_Enough with the mockery! _

_It isn't mockery. Someone like me should respect their elders-and you're my elder my thousands of years._

_Yeah, sure it isn't, _was the sarcastic reply.

_I'm asking you politely to stop it, Kai-sempai. I can't concentrate on anything when you do things like this._

_If you're just trying to do this polite thing to get something from me, it isn't going to work. If you want to be polite, the highest form of polieness is to go and destroy Konoha!_

Ignoring the comment, Naruto got dressed and walked over to the kitchen. "Morning, Naruto-kun!" Tristeza said happily. "You look like you're in a good mood today. What's gotten into you?"

"The pleasure of being accepted," Naruto replied, and sat down at the table across from the smiling Tristeza. A new home. A new life. And being accepted as a human for the first time in his life. Life was finally beggining to get better.

A/N No, there isn't a Naruto-Tristeza pairing, for those of you who are obsessed with Naruto getting together with someone else. The pairings are a surprise. And as to why Naruto is using honorifics when talking to the Kyuubi, it's because he's in a much better mood than usual, seemingly able to forget his troubles, and so treats everyone around him with respect, even a demon. Until the next chapter, that is. I'm not ending it like that! No way! Naruto can't hide from his problems forever! Tune in on the next chapter, where the wishes of some reviewers on what happens to Sakura happens! I just wanted to say that the ending comes in just a few chapters, (mostly because I want to do my other story, which is possibly better or worse, depends on your taste) and that if I get complaints on how it turns out, I'll write an alternate ending. Just a heads-up!


	8. Kill, Kill, A Feast of Blood

A/N Reading the reviews, I've found that people detest Hinata for siding with the village; I blame myself for not making it clear enough that there was another reason for Hinata to do what she did. What would _you _do if tons of people were exploding into multiple bloody bits all around you, hmm? I just want to make it clear that Hinata _did _care about Naruto more than the village, she was just terrified of all the blood; seriously, think of Hinata from the manga/anime and imagine what someone with her personality would have done. Naruto, on the other hand, had taken it the wrong way, and decided that Hinata wanted him to die. Sorry for any confusion about that! Also, while reading the first episode/chapter of Naruto in the _manga, _I found it quite different than the anime! Apparently they don't specify Naruto having ever been without the demon inside him; it sounds a lot more like the Fourth Hokage sort of _created _Naruto for a container, rather than sealing the demon inside him, and therefore technically Naruto _is _a demon, and it was just altered in the anime. That's just what it sounded like to me, though. I, for one, prefer Naruto to be a human being. But you have to admit, why not just seal the Kyuubi in something that isn't alive? Wouldn't that make more sense? Ah, well… That would completely destroy the plot now, wouldn't it? Okay, I know, this is possibly the stupidest author's note you've ever seen. Just read on… Oh, and I purposely made the chapter title similar to that of an earlier chapter, "A Taste of Blood."

**Chapter Eight: Kill, Kill; A Feast of Blood**

The group entered the village where Naruto was suspected to be.

"Hey," Shino asked a young girl carrying a bucket of water. "We're looking for a blonde-haired blue-eyed boy with whisker-like lines on his face. Have you seen him?"

The girl took a step back and gave a gasp. "Umm… Of course not! Not here!" _They must be tracker ninja, by the look of the headband. Well, they won't get Naruto, _the girl thought.

"We aren't trackers," Neji assured her, guessing her thoughts. "If we were, we'd be wearing masks."

"There's no Naruto here," the girl told them, and covered her mouth as she realized the mistake she made.

"Take us to Naruto, or take him to us. We just need to meet him… We have some… Apologies to give him…" Tenten murmured.

"APOLOGIES? THEY'RE MORE THAN APOLOGIES!" shrieked Sakura. "THE COUNCIL TRIED TO TAKE HIS LIFE! AND YOU SAY WE ONLY CAME TO APOLIGIZE?" Sakura gave a look of disgust. "Oh, yeah, I can picture that! 'Hey Naruto,' we say, 'We're sorry that you nearly got killed, will you come back to Konoha now?' Oh, that will sound _really _convincing, Tenten!" Sarcasm was put into every word.

"Sakura has a point. Naruto won't believe us," Hinata murmured. "If only we had some sort of proof…"

"I'll go get Naruto," the girl said quietly.

Five minutes later she came back with a smiling Naruto. "What is it you wanted to show me, Nana?" he urged her. Suddenly he looked at the group the girl was pointing to and gasped.

"Those scary people want you for something, Naruto-senpai."

"Umm, Nana-san, why don't you go play hopscotch with Ichigo-san and Sunako-san right now while I handle the scary people?" Naruto suggested, trying not to scare the young girl. "While you're at it, go tell Tristeza-chan not to worry when I don't get back, alright?"

"Okay, Naruto-senpai!" Nana obeyed cheerfully, dashing off.

"What is it you want?" Naruto asked the group after Nana left. The forehead protector he wore was still bearing the scratch across the Leaf-Village symbol.

"We want you back, Naruto-kun!" Hinata sobbed. "We're extremely sorry! It was the council members who planned everything! Tsunade-sama didn't even have a say in the matter, and she's the Hokage!"

"Why would I trust you again?" Naruto asked, as a few people in the small village left their houses to see the event. "Trusting you after what happened… For me, that's like asking me to trust a demon. In fact, it's worse. I trust the _Kyuubi _more than I trust you guys right now."

_Not that it doesn't make sense to trust me._

_Be quiet._

"Please forgive us," Naruto-kun!" Hinata sobbed, rushing to hug him. Naruto gasped as the shy ninja cried and stained his shoulder with tears.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered just loud enough to be heard. "I really am sorry, Naruto… For calling you a demon… I didn't know you were a Jinchuuriki! I didn't know how far that insult would carry!"

A shove, and Hinata fell to the ground. Naruto's face had an unreadable expression. "After all that has happened… You expect me to come back with you… To come back to a wretched life of only being noticed through pranks?"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whimpered. "Please… Naruto-kun… Come back! We really _are _sorry, please!" Hinata took a deep breath before adding, "I loved you. I still love you. You're the reason I've tried to become stronger, Naruto. You taught me not to give up! And I won't give up, I won't, not until I bring you back!" Another pause.

An eternal silence.

"I'll bring you back to Konoha…" Hinata whispered, "If I have to break both your arms and legs to do it!"

Naruto gasped. Why was the scene so familiar?

He thought carefully.

_"I'll bring you back if I have to break both your arms and legs!" _The exact words Naruto had said to Sasuke not to long ago…

"If you want a battle…" Naruto replied, "Then we'll do it farther away from this village. Nobody innocent should be harmed."

"Hinata-" Neji murmured, about to grab her shoulder.

"No, Neji," she stated firmly. "_I _will fight him."

"Fine. Let's go," Naruto said simply, walking off and being caeful to check over his shoulder every few seconds. Tristeza followed them, along with Nana. They wanted to see the battle and make sure Naruto was safe.

"Alright. Here's fine," Naruto said as they entered a clearing. The old feeling he got before a battle seemed to be one he hadn't felt in ages… In fact, the jolt of excitement was too strong to handle. A moment later, he found himself standing over a bloody heap.

"Sakura!" everyone cried out. Naruto took a step back and gasped.

"Damn you, Kyuubi! Damn you!" he muttered, trying to hide the tears.

_In my opinion, that's one enemy out of the way._

"She's dead… What have I…" Naruto gazed down, horrified. Sakura's arms were severed off, her throat-the esophagus-was visable, torn and bloody. Her heart was ripped clean out, and by the taste of his own mouth, Naruto could tell that he had done it with his teeth. And… "It tastes…" he murmured after a pause, his eyes turning red, nails turning to claws, teeth to fangs. "Good." Hinata bravely took a step forward.

"I'll bring you back, Naruto-kun…" Tears fell to the ground. "I'll bring you back…"

Horrified gasps came from Tristeza and Nana as they realized what had happened.

A/N Okay, all of you who don't think I'm reading the reviews where people want me to kill off Sakura, you can stop accusing me now. For those of you who were horrified at the scene you just pictured, well… That's your own fault for not reading the rating. Besides, it isn't _that _bad. Anyway, if you've noticed that I've been adding more honorifics as the story goes on, good for you, because I just recently figured out the meaning of all of them, between –san, -kun, -chan, -senpai, -kohai, etc. For those of you who don't know this stuff ('cause I sure didn't until now) I'll put a little guide in the next chapter's author's notes. Okay… As to the story, Hinata and Naruto's battle comes next. Yay!


	9. An Inch from Death

A/N Okay, next chapter. The battle between Hinata and Naruto!

**Chapter Nine: An Inch from Death**

Naruto stood back, awaiting Hinata's attack, the features acquired by Kyuubi still visible. He stood, waiting.

Hinata charged towards him. "Byakugan!" Naruto merely held his palm out, like a signal to stop. _Is he surrendering? _Hinata thought.

"Rasengan!" A spiraling blue orb appeared in Naruto's hands. He thrust it forward, hitting Hinata's stomach with extreme force. It threw her back, and sent her flying into a tree. "Come on, Hinata, surely you can you better than that?" he teased. Playfully. It was as if they were merely training together, rather than fighting to the death. Hinata got to her feet, not expecting Naruto's next move. "Taju, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"Byakugan!" Hinata looked around at the array of clones, but soon found why Neji had had such a difficult time fighting him in the Chuunin exams. By spreading his chakra evenly into each clone, and by somehow making them all flesh and blood, even Byakugan could not tell which was the original.

Hinata ran up, using a kunai to slash through one after the other. Suddenly, Naruto came upon her from behind and was about to kill her when Hinata used a replacement jutsu, causing Naruto's kunai to hit a log. He turned around and used his now claw-like nails to scratch the real Hinata's arm, leaving a deep wound. He was about to deal a final blow when…

Lee kicked him off to the side. Not losing his balance for an instant, Naruto charged and knocked Lee out, too fast, even for someone like Lee. He resumed battle with Hinata, only to find Ino bandaging her wounds. Naruto leapt at Ino and bit her neck. As his grip tightened, he felt blood trickle into his mouth, followed by a scream. He released his grip, and Ino fell to the ground, dead.

Hinata stabbed the back of Naruto's head with a kunai, but it was futile. Steam rose from the cut, and it healed. Naruto turned and was about to kill her, but Hinata jumped into a nearby tree. Suddenly, his whole body froze. He felt himself forced to tun around, facing Shikamaru. "That's enough, Naruto."

"Ooh, a shadow possession. I'm so scared," Naruto said sarcastically.

"You should be." Shikamaru reached into his own bag, causing Naruto to reach into his. While Shikamaru's hand came back into the air holding no kunai, yet still in that position, Naruto's hand held one. Shikamaru aimed his imaginary kunai at his own heart, attempting to get Naruto to kill himself in that manner.

"Wow, so your plan was to do that?" Naruto murmured. "Go ahead and try."

The kunai pierced right through Naruto's heart, and the shadow possession was released, but Naruto pulled it out, the wound already healing. "This is getting annoying," he murmured, the chakra corrupting his mind with the thoughts of the Kyuubi. Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy, and found himself being possessed by the demon. His ability to control any of his limbs soon disappeared, and so did his ability to tell what was going on. Everything went dark. When he regained his ability to see, hear, and move, he found that he held Hinata against a tree by her neck, while everyone-even Tristeza and Nana-were on the ground, covered in blood. Naruto yanked his hand back, away from Hinata. The demon chakra was gone, as were Kyuubi's thoughts.

"What did I do?" Naruto murmured, tasting the blood in his mouth, and looking at his skin, now with red splotches everywhere. The field was a pool of carcasses-everyone was dead, except him and Hinata.

"No…" he whispered. Hinata was on her hands and knees.

"Naruto-kun…" she cried softly. "Help me…" Hinata passed out.

"What happened?" he asked himself, horrified. "My friends, all dead! Am I cursed to live like this? To live without having anywhere I can be trusted?"

He lifted up Hinata, who was still alive. "I'll just let Konoha killed me," he told himself. "I'll save Hinata and let them kill me. Nothing is as bad as this, not even death…"

_Fool. You can kill the girl right now, and…_

_I'm through listening to you! If I hadn't listened to you in the first place, I would still be at Konoha training with Sakura, and Sakura might have forgiven me by now! _

Naruto picked up Hinata and carried her to Konoha, not slowing down for even an instant. She could die if he took even a moment's break. Finally, they reached the gates of Konoha, and Naruto wearily handed Hinata to the man guarding the gate. A group of ANBU surrounded him, but were surprised to see that he didn't object to being taken to prison.

He sat in the icy cell, thinking over the events that had happened. "How much time has passed since I failed to bring Sasuke back?" he asked himself. "Only a week?"

Tears fell to the floor.

* * *

"Naruto has been sentenced to death for escaping his sentence one week ago, murdering two innocent people from a village outside Konoha, murdering nine Konoha ninja, and coming close to killing one," the council member announced. The onlookers were cheering once more-all but Tsunade, the ramen store owner, Iruka, Kakashi, Jiraiya, a few ninja who knew Naruto well, and Hinata (who was bandaged and in a wheelchair for the time being).

They didn't need to hold his head down, but they did anyway. Naruto wanted nothing more than to die and get it over with. But just as the sword was an inch away from Naruto's neck, it stopped. Gasps came from the crowd. Standing there, holding the blade so tightly that his fingers bled, was a boy around Naruto's age.

Naruto turned and stood up, the person holding his head against the rock having let go in shock. He gasped, and took a step back. "S-s-s-sasuke…"

"This whole thing is my fault in the first place, for going off with Orochimaru," Sasuke announced. "Naruto is innocent. Besides," he added. "He didn't murder all those ninja alone. Not even the Kyuubi could do that, due to the fact that he's sealed up so well. I helped him kill them; I would have done it alone, but if I killed him, it would arouse suspicion. Kill me instead, Leave Naruto alone."

"No!" Naruto gasped. "Stop trying to take the blame, Sasuke! They won't listen to you, anyway!"

"But it's the truth," Sasuke replied. "I mean it. Anyway, I've already successfully killed Itachi. I don't mind dying in your place, even if it was a lie."

"S-sasuke…" Naruto murmured. "Stop lying…"

"Everyone cheer for Sasuke, for his courage to lie about something as serious as this!" the council member shouted.

Before anyone could cheer, Sasuke slapped the council member. "It isn't a lie! You can have an ANBU search my memory. It's _true._"

They did so.

And Sasuke was telling the truth.

"But… He's the last Uchiha! We can't…" the council member argued, but Sasuke interrupted.

"Naruto is the last Uzamaki, in case you haven't noticed."

"Stop this, Sasuke! It's as if you're _trying _to get them to kill you!" Naruto barked.

Sasuke ignored. "Naruto was corrupted by the seal. If Jiraiya is able to close the connection between Naruto and the Kyuubi, everything can go back to normal."

Jiraiya stepped up, his fingers glowing as he jabbed the unexpecting Naruto's seal. "There. Connection should be closed, if I do that at least once a month or so."

"But now what? We have to have _some _sort of sentence!" the council member argued.

"No sentences!" Tsunade cut in. "I agree with Sasuke's judgment. Everything is to go back to as normal as possible!"

"Really?" Hinata cried, running up and giving Naruto a hug.

"But… All our friends… Dead…" Tears still fell to the ground. Naruto couldn't help it. "Will things really be _normal?" _

A/N Next chapter is the last-the epilogue! Then comes the start of a much longer story… And hopefully still just as good.


	10. Epilogue

A/N The final chapter. This has a time skip.

**Chapter Ten: Epilogue**

Naruto smiled. It had been seven years since the incident. Hinata sat beside him.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Lord Hokage!" a man cried out as he burst into the building. "It's an emergency!"

"Alright, I'm coming," Naruto replied, dashing over.

"Hurry! We've asked Wind Country to come, but they most likely won't get here for another three days! A demon has entered the village gates!" the man huffed.

"What?" Naruto gasped. After seven years, things had become as normal as possible, and Tsunade had chosen him to become Hokage after she retired. Naruto immediately saw the huge demon. _What? _Naruto asked himself. _It can't be! There's only nine tailed demons! But this is a… _He closed his eyes, trying to accept it.

The demon destroying his village was a ten-tailed wolf.

He walked boldly up to the roof of a building where he would be in front of the monster. "Get me and Hinata's daughter, Tristeza." The other ninja did so, and was back within a few minutes. Naruto took the small black-haired child, the blank Byakugan eyes shining with tears caused by fear.

"Hold her in front of me," Naruto ordered. He knew he wouldn't have enough chakra. He knew that doing the technique would kill him. _Is this how the Fourth Hokage felt? _

_Kid, do you really want to die so young?_

_No, Kyuubi. Would you lend me some chakra? I must… Must make sure that Tristeza can grow up as normal as possible… My father wasn't able to make sure of that when he died._

_She'll still have Hinata._

_Still… _He thought for a moment. _I can't show Sakura and the other's my face. I can't. _

_Okay. Do the jutsu._

A hand seal. Naruto closed his eyes as he placed a seal mark on Tristeza, and the demon gave a screech as it fought for freedom. However, not even the Kyuubi had enough chakra to keep Naruto alive through the sealing. Life slipped from his grasp as he saw the demon disappear into Tristeza. "Treat… Tristeza… Normally…" he rasped as he fell to the ground. "Please… Respect her…" He closed his eyes. he last thing he heard was, "Get a medical squad!"

* * *

Hinata grabbed the small child. "Tristeza! You just _can't _put graffiti on the faces of the Hok-"

"Why not? After all, I'm going to be Hokage some day, too! In fact, I'll be the best of them all! _Especially _better than the sixth!"

"Tristeza, the sixth is your father!"

"Yeah, yeah. My point exactly."

Naruto walked over, hands on his hips. "Tristeza, Tristeza…" he sighed, before bursting out in a laughing fit. "Oh boy, Tsunade isn't going to like this one! She's just like I was!"

Hinata gave Naruto an annoyed stare. "Now I wish they hadn't managed to save you the day you… Erm… _Killed _the ten-tailed wolf! You're encouraging her!"

"Tristeza," Naruto said, grabbing Tristeza's hand. He had stopped laughing. "You're eventually going to be a strong ninja, but if you want to do it faster than I did, stop being class clown. Trust me, I know!" Multiple onlookers stared; some, like Tsunade (who still had the Genjutsu making her look young), were desperately trying to suppress a laugh.

"I don't want to be just a strong ninja! I want to be Hokage!" she replied defiantly.

"I just wish I had grown up with parents," Naruto sighed. "It might have helped me in the long run, knowing how to take care of someone as hyper as you."

Tsunade stepped out of the crowd. "In my opinion, she's your successor for that title you had way back when."

"What title?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Naruto!" Hinata laughed, knowing what she was talking about. Tristeza looked dumbfounded.

"The number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja of the village!" Tsunade laughed. Naruto looked slightly embarrassed. Tristeza smiled.

"Alright! I've earned my first title! YES!" she squealed. "Now I _have _to be strong!"

Most people laughed. Naruto smiled. "Yeah… How about you graduate the academy first? You've already failed four consecutive times."

A/N Okay, I may do a sequel about Naruto and Hinata raising Tristeza, but it isn't likely unless I get some reviews. I'll think about it while I write "A Tale of Tails." I'm sorry if this ended kind of oddly, but I'm bad at sad endings. I really wanted to manage a sad one, but… Well… I'll try harder some other time.

As for people who think "A Tale of Tails" is going to end sadly, maybe it will, maybe it won't. I haven't finished it yet. I'll post the first chapter as soon as I can. By the way, I don't care what you reviewers say! In case you didn't read many reviews, most people wanted Sakura dead. O.O I can't please _everyone. _Yeesh, what do you expect of me? And anyway, I had no idea what to do with those other characters, and I needed an excuse for Sasuke to come save the day, so yeah…

Don't worry, "A Tale of Tails" will hopefully be better. Emphasis on 'hopefully.' I was so eager to start writing it that I ended a story at chapter ten… Ah, well. Okay, I hope that explains some things. The sequel probably won't happen for awhile, though, even if I do write it. I promise that my next story is going to be much longer. I'm just obsessed with rushing stories. Sorry 'bout that. Trust me, I PROMISE. 


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